Caitlin Burke is a Who What Wear editor in residence; a stylist; a creative director who has worked with brands like Altuzarra, Brandon Maxwell, Rosie Assoulin, and Kallmeyer; and the author of The Style Out, her forthcoming Substack newsletter about fashion and style with insights from nearly two decades spent working in the industry.
By the end of each runway season, I’m usually brimming with styling ideas and an ever-growing wish list of designer items. But after the spring/summer 2026 shows, one, in particular, seemed to occupy most of the space in my sartorial brain. In the span of 76 looks, Louise Trotter’s debut collection for Bottega Veneta has completely impacted the way I want to get dressed, both immediately for the remainder of 2025 and in the season ahead, when I will finally be able to shop her S/S 26 creations.
Ahead, discover some of my takeaways from the show, including the spring color trends I can’t wait to wear and how I plan to style them with pieces in my own closet.
WHITE ON WHITE
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
Ever since Michael Rider’s debut at Celine, I’ve been craving a soft white shoe to pair with everything, and this Bottega collection just intensified that need. (In fact, I bought these Phoebe Philo flats immediately after the show.) Another intense desire that solidified was for more texture, particularly white-on-white or monochrome textural layering. Craft has been a strong theme among luxury houses in the return of maximalism (or more so “simple with impact,” as Phoebe Philo’s viral quote so eloquently put it). I think there has been a collective boredom with quiet luxury and “elevated essentials,” but many of us are not ready to be full-blown maximalists just yet. Texture feels like a natural step in that direction—slowly turning up the volume on our dressing (both literally and figuratively). I love how Trotter paired summery poplins with feathers usually reserved for holidays and how heavy, textural knits were balanced with simple, lightweight trousers. I picked up these Colleen Allen cotton pants that I’ll wear with chunky knits and perhaps this Dries clutch. I also scored this ruffled McQueen top to pair back to simple ivory trousers.
MCQUEEN
Backless Ruffle Silk Gown
Colleen Allen
Cotton Drawstring Pant
AW25 WOMEN
Fringed Shoulder Bag
Phoebe Philo
Gathered Flat
NAVY EVERYTHING
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
I’m resisting the urge to declare “navy is the new brown” (because brown will obviously still be around and actually looks great as a companion to navy, as evident in several of Bottega Veneta‘s S/S 26 looks), but there’s no denying that navy was the star of the show. Once again, the textural layering of navy on navy made one of the strongest arguments for how we should be dressing next season. What particularly pushed me to start an immediate shopping search, though, were the navy bags. I don’t know that I’ve ever considered a navy bag, but now I need one desperately. This Liffner clutch and Loewe bag are currently holding top spots on my wish list.
Phoebe Philo
Button Collar Shirt
LOEWE
Flamenco Medium Appliquéd Leather Clutch
GRAY AS THE ULTIMATE NEUTRAL
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
We’ve seen gray on the runway countless times, but there’s something about how Trotter presented it—playing with pops of yellow, beige, and camel—that made it feel so fresh and desirable. It’s also a very specific, cool-tone gray. The coolness paired with these warmer neutrals is what really sang for me. I plan to re-create this immediately with pieces I already own, and I have my eyes on that same Dries clutch in gray or this Khaite bag to help get the job done.
LOEWE
Pebble Embellished Leather Bucket Bag
PINK + MAUVE + BURGUNDY
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
When this mauve suit walked down the runway, punctuated with that gorgeous pink pony-hair clutch I never knew I needed, I literally gasped. The pale-blue button-down peeking out from underneath was just icing on the cake. I had already been on a hunt for more burgundy this fall, but now mauve and pink have entered the chat to play alongside. I just might invite pale blue to make a guest appearance as well.
Khaite
Simona Shoulder Bag in Eggplant Haircalf
Prada
Oxford Cotton Shirt
Dries Van Noten
Draped Viscose Satin Top
POPS OF GREEN AND YELLOW
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)
On the same note of color inspo, Trotter’s use of green and yellow throughout the show should be taught in color theory courses. She used both shades like they were neutrals, and now I want to do the same. I will be pulling out my trusty butter-yellow Jil Sander sweater, which I usually reserve for spring, to pair with more neutral wintry looks. I’m also already on the hunt for a bag in the perfect shade of green. These yellow pumps from Bernadette are also calling my name (as are the gray).
Bernadette Antwerp
Classic Satin Pump
Balenciaga
Rodeo Handbag Medium in Khaki
High Sport
Exclusive Brooke Cotton Polo Sweater
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